Rocking Chair Refinishing Project and Outfitting the Living Room

I got obsessed with getting a rocking chair this fall. I went hiking in the Adirondacks and we stayed at an old cabin that had several comfortable Craftsman style rockers. I had been keeping an eye on the various online auction and sale site and pretty much resigned myself to the thought I'd never find one.   

To my surprised, one came on the market at a good price. It was a solid oak piece that was just the size and style I was looking for. The chair had been refurbished once before but so long ago that it had a lot of wear. Some joints needed reinforcement, the main leather and springs in the seat weren't very comfortable and the shellac finish was chipping and uneven.

I decided to take on refinishing and re-upholstering the chair. Luckily the shellac came of relatively easy with some mineral spirits.

I applied a light stain and oil finish just a hint darker than the original wood so that you could see the character but so that it didn't look brand new.

I got a piece of leather at a local fabric outlet. An aside: if you are ever looking for any type of fabric for a project, this is the Textile Discount Outlet in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood has to be the best resource in the entire Chicagoland area. Floor after floor of fabrics and leather of every type you can think of.

Anyway, I removed the old spring seat and put in new webbing and padding to create a new one.

I am pretty happy with the outcome and for the first time, we have more than one seat in the living room. Here is a before and after so you can see the progress.  

Since I had already been paying attention to all of the local furniture ads, I soon became aware of another piece that I loved: an antique oak settle. I didn't plan on these purchases but am happy with the change. The new furniture fits the place perfectly and we really couldn't be happier.